


test pilot

by TrishaCollins



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam stop flirting with the MFE for the love of god, Gen, machine loves man, man loves machine, the trouble with baby ais
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 22:46:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15694881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishaCollins/pseuds/TrishaCollins
Summary: The brass isn't content with Sam's assertion that only the MFE pilots can fly the ships. They demand a test flight with the pilot of their choice. It goes as well as expected.





	test pilot

He had shut down the debate of which MFE they were going to let the Brass use by offering his own. Not that the idea of someone else in his ship didn't give him an all over unclean feeling, but he didn't want to put his team through it.

Lead by example or whatever.

Sam was explaining things, but he thought West had stopped listening awahile ago, running his hand down the side of the MFE and staring off into the middle distance.

James wasn't in his flight suit, just the cadet uniform, but he was dodging around at West's heels, leaning into the ship when he had a moment. 

"She's beautiful, James." West murmered. "I won't hurt her."

"She pulls down and to the side so afjust your angles." He paused. "sir."

West grinned. "Noted. Opinionated like her pilot."

He ducked his head, trying not to view West as the Enemy.

If it had to be anyone in Alpha, he guessed that West would be his first choice. He was an ace pilot and seemed to respect the MFEs. Half of what he knew about flying came from West.

He sucked on the inside of his lip, trying to keep that in his head and not let the bubble of resentment settle too deeply this near to Alpha.

"Are we ready to start? He has been flying the sims for weeks." Sanda's voice was sharp.

West signed nearly silently, lifting his hand in a guesture for patience. "Just getting a feel for the updates, ma'am. With the protoypes in the air, the sims are not always up to date on the newest system updates. The software is built to evovle, after all, and the sims cannot always predict that."

Sanda huffed. "Cadet, return to your station. You did not need to be here."

He stiffened, pressing his hand into the side of the MFE.

"I will take care of her." West promised, giving a small wink.

He nodded and forced himself to step away, jaw and shoulders tense.

West climbed into the cockpit. He could almost feel him running the general pre-flight. Feel his fingers on the familiar controls, running through everything about his ship.

Holt caught his arm, guiding him to the control room. Sanda had already walked away, standing next to Iverson.

"I know you hate this, Griffin." Holt said gently. "it will be over soon."

He laughed, trying not to lock his jaw. Adam West was a good pilot. One of the best pilots. Young but already seasoned. If Adam could fly the MFE as well as he could, then it would be over. He would be over.

He was just a rankless nobody. He would lose his ship, his crew.

Alpha's refusal inside his head was sharp, and on the tarmac the engine died.

"Lt. West?" Iveraon queried.

"Just a system error, restarting."

Sanda gave Holt a look. "If you sabotaged..."

"I didn't. I told you the ships are particular. The ship is protesting in it's own way."

Sanda's scowl didn't shift. "then rewrite the ai to be more accommodating. If it can only fly with cadets it won't be much good to us." 

That stuck in his chest, a spike of panic that he couldn't contorl. _fly. They'll kill you._

He heard West on the comms. A startled yelp as the ship turned on and took off all in the same instant.

"Another malfunction?" Sanda asked, entire being dripping with mockery.

"No. Survival instinct. It isn't precicly an AI. Altean tech is built to learn and grow. The ships are alive."

"Nonsense. West?"

"Oh she is amazing. I am not even touching the stick. She is doing this herself. Is Griffin down there?"

Sanda gave him a disgusted look. "He is. Can you take control?"

"She is doing an amazing job on her own. Just keep Griffin in there so she doesn't decide she needs to defend him. I think you made her angry."

Sanda glanced at Santos. "You think that ship would attack us?"

West's laugh was genuine. "She loves her pilot. Ask Griffin if he told her to fly."

"Cadet Griffin said nothing." Sanda snapped. "take control of that ship."

He could feel West touch the stick, then, fingers closing gently around it. "easy, beautiful. Let me feel you."

Alpha didn't dislike him. Not exactly. He wasn't testing her patince like the brass was. But she resented him being in her cockpit.

He let her feel his reservation and also the push to let West at least guide her flight.

"She does pull, doesn't she?" West's voice was gentle and fond, as though they were having a private conversation. "But her action is smooth. A little touchy on the controls. That's an adjustment. She is predicting me before I touch her, isn't she?"

"Can you control it?" Sanda asked.

"Right now she is letting me because Griffin wants me to. Holt is right. These ships are single operation. She is the best I have flown. I would love to partner with one."

"I will put you on the waiting list, Adam. Sorry we couldn't get you on the project earlier." Holt said, chuckling. 

"I am bringing her in, or she is bringing herself in to be more precise. Once she calms down, Griffin, I would like to go up with you and see what she can really do." West was relaxed, he couldn't relax until the ship had settled back down on the tarmac.

Holt's hand tightened on his arm, keeping him by his side.

He sighed, hating it, but obeyed.

"Does that satisfy you. Admiral?" Holt's voice was cool.

"For the moment." Sanda glared at him, then stalked out of the control room. He bolted for the ship as soon as she was gone. 

Adam was getting down. "Ja-"

Two steps was all that it took to put himself right where he needed to be, sqaure in the middle of the seat. Alpha came up to meet him. 

"James, wait!" 

He didn't wait. The cockpit closed around him and they were airborne before Holt could make it down the stairs.

His ears popped when Alpha went up to fast, he scrambled for the controls, they were both thudding against each other in too much of a hurry to get away to mind that he wasn't in a flight suit and she wasn't fully charged. But right now it didn't matter. Right now he needed to be right here and that was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on my phone at work. All typos mine.


End file.
